Insights into the forces shaping our industry.

The importance of a strong, timely offer:

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “time kills all deals”, and it’s certainly true in recruiting. If your company takes days (or even weeks) to make an offer to a candidate, you’re sending a potential employee the wrong message; reflecting poorly on your company, before they even start. Candidates may interpret the delay as:

●You aren’t that interested in them, and they’ll move on to the next company.

●Your decision-making process is slow, which may lead them to question how decisions are made after they are hired.

●You have no urgency, therefore, how relevant is this position to the company?

When you present an offer, make sure it’s one that will be accepted. When working with a recruiter, you will know the candidate’s salary expectations ahead of time. If you can’t make an offer to a candidate in their target range, don’t interview the candidate.

There are consequences to making an offer that won’t be accepted. First, it wastes your and the candidate’s time – between phone interviews, in person interviews, reference checking, etc. Second, you have to factor in the time and revenue loss of the position not being filled; in many cases, the search has to start all over again, after you’ve gotten to the point of making a candidate an offer. Third, it can spark a bad reputation in the market place. We are in a small industry, where the degree of separation is only 2 or 3 rather than the typical 6 degrees of separation and people talk.

You want to start a relationship off on the right foot. If you like the candidate, then make them a strong offer, within 1 – 3 days of their final interview. Work with your recruiter to discuss the offer ahead of time and to understand if it makes sense to move forward.

Brooke Ziolo is a contingent and retained executive recruiter working exclusively within the Lighting Industry. To learn more about how she can help your Lighting company, LED company or Lighting Design Firm attract talent, check out her LinkedIn profile or email her at bz@egretconsulting.com.